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The Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel chose to speak about music and poetry the day after the CIA director visited Havana.
On his X account, the leader posted a tribute to the joint performance of Silvio Rodríguez and the Brazilian singer-songwriter Chico Buarque of the song "I Dream of Serpents", without mentioning at any point the visit of John Ratcliffe, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which took place on Friday, May 15th.
"What a marvel! Chico and Silvio singing together 'Sueño con serpientes,' a song so well-known that, nevertheless, it sounds very fresh, with Havana in these difficult days in a coherent embrace with the dazzling work of both creators. Thank you for this unique way of denouncing through the power of music and poetry," wrote Díaz-Canel.
The silence is striking given the historical weight of what happened the day before. The CIA landed in Havana and the regime itself confirmed the meeting through an official statement from the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), which stated that the meeting was requested by Washington and authorized by the "Direction of the Revolution."
Ratcliffe met with Lázaro Álvarez Casas, the Minister of the Interior, who is sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act; with Ramón Romero Curbelo, head of the Intelligence Directorate of MININT; and with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "Raulito" or "El Cangrejo," grandson of Raúl Castro and lieutenant colonel of MININT.
The CIA director brought Trump’s message to Cuba: Washington is willing to engage in dialogue about economy and security, but only if Havana makes "fundamental changes."
The diplomatic sequence of the week was unusual. On Tuesday the 12th, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: "Cuba asks for help, and we're going to talk!" On Wednesday the 13th, Díaz-Canel responded that they were "always willing to engage in dialogue." On Thursday the 14th, Cuba agreed to discuss a U.S. aid offer of 100 million dollars, although they remained silent regarding the proposal for free access to satellite internet via Starlink.
The regime had labeled that service a threat just days earlier. The pro-government outlet Razones de Cuba published an article on May 4 titled "Starlink's Hybrid War Against Cuba," describing the service as "inherently resistant to physical attacks or government interdiction."
Unlike the secret contact that the then director of the CIA, John Brennan, had with Cuban officials in 2016 during the Obama-Castro thaw, this time the CIA released official photos of the trip, which is unusual for this type of diplomatic engagement.
The video that Díaz-Canel shared was recorded at the Ojalá Studios, in the Playa municipality of Havana, on April 8 and 9, during the visit of Chico Buarque to Cuba after three decades of absence. The proceeds from the recording would be donated to the Pediatrics Department of the National Oncology Institute of Cuba.
While the Cuban leader praised the music, the question that circulated on social media summarized the contrast between the official silence and the visit of the CIA: where was Díaz-Canel while the CIA officials were touring Havana?
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